President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in a condolence message to the President of China Xi Jingping said he was deeply saddened to hear of the loss of life and devastation as a result of the earthquake in the Sichuan Province of China.

The President said that while natural disasters and their consequences are beyond human control he is certain that the Chinese people will courageously face it and recover in the shortest possible time under the Chinese President’s leadership.